1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alpha-tocopherol uridine phosphoric acid diester, halo-substituted derivatives thereof, and salts thereof, which are novel compounds of value as antiinflammatory agents, for instance, and methods for producing said compounds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While a variety of antiinflammatory agents are known, it is generally acknowledged that steroidal antiinflammatory drugs are most effective. However, steroidal drugs tend to cause serious side effects and present several problems in clinical application. For this reason, various nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents have been developed and put into use, but none of them are fully satisfactory.
The compounds provided in accordance with the present invention are phosphoric acid diesters of alpha-tocopherol and either uridine or uridine substituted by a halogen atom in its 5-position.
It is known that alpha-tocopherol is not only an effective antioxidant for unsaturated fatty acids but has many pharmacological and physiological activities such as peripheral vasodilator activity, antiarteriosclerotic activity and so on. Recently, it has been suggested that this compound is effective in the treatment of cataract as well.
On the other hand, uridine is a constituent of ribonucleic acid and 5-halouridines have been known to display antitumor activity in vivo. However, there has not been known a compound consisting of alpha-tocopherol and either uridine or a 5-halouridine, all of which have such varied and benificial properties, as linked through the intermediary of a phosphoric acid moiety.
The present inventor synthesized a variety of compounds, screened them for new and highly effective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, and ultimately discovered that the phosphoric acid diester of alpha-tocopherol and either uridine or 5-halouridine is a very desirable antiinflammatory agent. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of the above finding.